Sophia’s POV
“And you are?” she asked again, voice silk wrapped around a blade.
Colton inhaled slightly, ready to answer.
I didn’t let him.
“I’m consulting,” I said smoothly, forcing a polite smile. “We had a strategy meeting earlier and decided to continue over dinner. Timing just… stretched.”
The lie slid out of me like something rehearsed, even though it wasn’t.
For half a second, Carmen’s eyes flickered.
Then they settled back into that calm, assessing glaze.
Colton’s hand under the table went still.
Not supportive anymore.
Still.
I didn’t need to look at him to know something had shifted. But I did anyway.
His jaw had tightened. Not slightly. Completely.
The warmth from earlier evaporated. His expression didn’t explode. It iced over.
He wasn’t looking at Carmen.
He was
